183?.] Historical Sketch of the Kingdom of Pandya. 217 



Supplementary Note to the Historical Sketch of the Kingdom of 

 Pandya, by H. H. Wilson. 



Shortly after the paper which the Royal Asiatic Society has thought 

 worthy of a place in the present Number of the Journal, the Historical 

 Sketch of the Kingdom of Pandya, was printed, I procured a copy 

 of a valuable work recently transmitted to England from Madras, 

 " Oriental Historical Manuscripts in the Tamil Language ; translated, 

 with Annotations, by William Taylor, Missionary." The most im- 

 portant of the manuscripts, now first published by Mr. Taylor, 

 relate to the subject of my Sketch, and constitute materials highly 

 essential to the elucidation of Pandyan history. The chief of them, 

 the " Madura Sthala Purana," is clearly the same as one of my 

 authorities, the "Madura Purana;" and it seems likely that the 

 " Pandion Chronicle," and the " History of the Karnata Governors 

 of Madura," which are also amongst Mr. Taylor's translations, may 

 be identifiable with documents in the " Mackenzie Collection," of 

 which I have made use. 



There is, accordingly, a general conformity, as close, perhaps, as 

 could be well expected between the details of Mr. Taylor's authori- 

 ties and those which I have given ; but his conclusions, and those 

 which 1 have hazarded, do not always coincide. We are most at 

 variance with regard to the chronology of Pandyan history ; Mr. 

 Taylor being disposed to assign to persons and events a much higher 

 antiquity than I have ventured to ascribe to them. I am not about 

 to vindicate my views : they are now more fully before the public 

 than they were in the introduction to the " Mackenzie Collection," 

 to which Mr. Taylor necessarily confines his observations j and some 

 correcter notion also may be entertained of the particular authorities 

 which I have taken as my guides. With the present Sketch, and the 

 benefit of Mr. Taylor's translations and remarks, those who are 

 inclined to decide between us are in a condition to form a judgment 

 for themselves. 



I should not, therefore, have thought it necessary to have adverted 

 particularly to Mr. Taylor's publication, had it not comprised a 

 statement which it is necessary to correct, that a candid comparison 

 between our deductions may be instituted. Mr. Taylor observes in 

 the preface to his second volume, referring to the notice of Pandya 

 prefixed to the Mackenzie Collection : " One position, relating to the 

 remote origin of the Pandion kingdom, being that to which the most 

 decided objection was felt, as opposed to several authorities, having 



